Imposed Celibacy on Priests: Is it Biblical?

7/24/2015 474 Comments


We go again to this book - the sickest book of all time - the Modern Catholic Dictionary. Nobody questions it despite its many faults and has since replaced the Bible by Catholic popular usage and preference. Its license to change biblical meanings and carve out its own has been derived from Catholic traditions, papal announcements, history, and writings of the past.

This time we refer to two terms: sacrament and celibacy - both endemic to Catholic culture - but we will focus on the second. According to the Modern Catholic Dictionary, here’s what sacrament means -

SACRAMENT. A sensible sign instituted by Jesus Christ, by which invisible grace and inward sanctification are communicated to the soul.


If the definition of “sacrament” is a sensible sign instituted by Christ by which invisible grace and inward sanctification are communicated to the soul, why are priests having received such “grace and sanctification,” forbidden to marry? Nowhere in the scripture can we find that disciples of the true Jesus Christ from the apostles down to the bishops, ministers, evangelists, and deacons of the true church in the Bible are prohibited to marry a woman for a wife! (Emphasis added on female gender due to SSM or same sex marriage happening now).

Note that the following Bible verses indicate that true followers of Christ may have a wife – one wife.

I CORINTHIANS 9:5 
Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

I TIMOTHY 3:12 
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

I TIMOTHY 3:1-2 
1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Even the earliest priests during the time of the Israelites, the Levites, were not prohibited to marry!

LEVITICUS 21:10-13 
10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 
11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 
12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. 
13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

God knows our body constitution. He knows our desires, and being the Great Providence that He is, He provides even what we hanker for and help realize our aspirations.

PSALMS 145:16 
Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

Nothing that comes from God may cause harm or evil to a recipient.

PROVERBS 19:14 
House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

While it is true that there are Christians who are called and are given the gift of being “single,” it is equally true that there are those serving the Lord and given the gift of marriage - to a wife - from God!

I CORINTHIANS 7:7-9 
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

What is pronounced better by the word of God written by the Apostle Paul cannot be less than what is being implemented by Catholic authorities: celibacy.

CELIBACY. The state of being unmarried and, in Church usage, of one who has never been married. Catholicism distinguishes between lay and ecclesiastical celibacy, and in both cases a person freely chooses for religious reasons to remain celibate.


This definition of “celibacy” is a blatant and a vulgar lie! Their history betrays them and shows the lie in their definition of “celibacy”!

Catholic Encyclopedia through Herbert Thurston admits that in the New Testament there is no indication of celibacy being made compulsory either upon the Apostles or those whom they ordained. ("Celibacy of the Clergy." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 23 Jul. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03481a.htm>.

But because virginity is a value to supposed ministry workers, celibacy came to be imposed, according to this Jesuit and liturgical scholar. After saying “in the language of our Savior and of St. Paul, virginity is the higher call, and by inference, as the condition befitting those who are set apart for the work of the ministry,” he lays out the deep principle involved -

The principle that underlies the Church's action in enforcing celibacy (goes deep). From the earliest period the Church was personified and conceived of by her disciples as the Virgin Bride and as the pure Body of Christ, or again as the Virgin Mother and it was plainly fitting that this virgin Church should be served by a virgin priesthood.

After much discourse on virginity, we learn that the confused Catholic meaning of celibacy is going without partners, and if married, to - of necessity - detach oneself from the union. Still on Herbert Thurston’s historical accounts -

The earliest enactment on the subject [of celibacy] is that of the Spanish Council of Elvira (between 295 and 302) in Canon XXXIII. It imposes celibacy upon the three higher orders of the clergy, bishops, priests, and deacons. If they continue to live with their wives and beget children after their ordination they are to be deposed.

By the time of St. Leo the Great, the law of celibacy was generally recognized in the West… The Council of Agde in Gaul, in 506, forbade subdeacons to marry, and such synods as those of Orléans in 538 and Tours in 567 prohibited even those already married from continuing to live with their wives.

The victory of celibacy, he said, began to be marked in 1123 by virtue of Cannon XX1 when “all conjugal relations on the part of the clergy in sacred orders were reduced in the eyes of canon law to mere concubinage.”

If Peter was the first pope of Rome in the Roman Catholic Church, why will he impose celibacy as obligatory like the Catholic Church has done? In fact, Peter was a married man.

MATTHEW 8:14-15 
14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 
15 And he touched his wife's mother her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

The Catholic Church cannot escape the biblical charges being imposed on them by the Apostle Paul! They are teaching doctrines of demons!

I TIMOTHY 4:1-3 
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Why “doctrines of demons?” Because it is camouflaged in hypocrisy! Beyond the mask is the real person and when there is no more way to escape, the truth comes out!

Here’s a teaser for news on sexual abuses committed by Catholic clergy. The news says 508 people had suffered from abuse of the clergy for a period of 50 years and so the Archdiocese would award $660 million -


Fast-forward to 2013, the same Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s “settlement tally is nearly $700 million to date,”Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA TODAY reported.

The settlement announced in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Tuesday notched up their tally to nearly $700 million in settlements to victims alone, not even adding in the costs of therapy, attorneys' fees and more. Four men abused a quarter century ago by a now-defrocked priest will divide $10 million, the archdiocese said. (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/13/sex-abuse-settlement-cardinal-roger-mahony/1984217/).

Why do all these things happen in the RCC? Because they don't believe in the words of God written by Paul that "It is better to marry than to burn!"

I fully understand the plight of Catholic priests. They are humans. They have lusts. They are enticed by their own lusts.

JAMES 1:14 
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Should one profess to remain unmarried, especially for religious reasons, it should come from his own volition and not imposed. News are rife with accounts of fornication and sexual abuse of children as the usual results of celibacy.

It is the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, who, for reasons only known to them, prohibit a priest to live in the grace of the true Lord Jesus of serving God with a partner!

One probable reason I am thinking of is that maybe if Catholic priests were allowed to marry and have children, the wealth of the Vatican would by force be distributed to legal heirs!

GENESIS 2:18 
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

Whatever it is, for me, there is no problem nor will there be any question or doubt if a man by his own free will chooses to be a celibate. It is provided for in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW 19:12 
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

God knows best! If He sees that it will be better for a man to sufficiently serve Him with a woman partner, He will give him a partner, and doing that is part of God’s will. There are several examples in the Bible that tell us so.

There was this Aquila who served the Lord efficiently with his wife, Priscilla.

THE ACTS 18:2 
And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; because that (Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

THE ACTS 18:24-26 
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

If the Roman Catholic Church claims that their church is a continuation of the church administered by the Apostles, it can be true but obviously in this sense: The Apostles forewarned the early Christians that after their death or departure grievous wolves will enter the flock and make captives the disciples to follow their wrong teachings and caprices!

THE ACTS 20:28-30 
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Many, indeed, will be captives!

II PETER 2:2 
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The Catholic Church maybe the unfruitful branch of the vine mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ in His parable.

JOHN 15:1-2 
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

They may also be the group prophetically mentioned by the Apostle Paul to be turning away from the truth and will turn into fables.

II TIMOTHY 4:3-4 
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

They separated from the true church to be manifested that they are the “anti-Christ”!

I JOHN 2:18-19 
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

How can we tell? By their doctrines, by their practices – beginning with defining terms their own way and deciding which is true by their own standards.

More of these to come.

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True Marriage Needs No Show Money

7/17/2015 , 768 Comments


In the Catholic Church, marriage officiated by Catholic authorities is the only one acknowledged. Civil marriage is considered invalid.

Sacraments 101: Matrimony (2:00) 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq2RDYlOLrs

According to them “civil marriage” is not a true marriage.

While applicants do not pay for civil marriage, the Catholic Church requires a fee for their official marriage that makes it biblically invalid. As Catholic authorities invalidate civil marriage, the Bible in turn invalidates their official marriage. How?

II CORINTHIANS 11:7 
Have I committed an offense in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

Everything sacred in the Bible must be given without payment. When it is paid, it loses its sanctity. The Bible gives many examples that should be given free since inherently the power to do it comes from God.

MATTHEW 10:8 
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

True marriage was instituted by God Himself. And everything that comes from God must not be sold or be paid for.

PROVERBS 23:23
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Can a marriage paid for with a considerable amount of money be better and more binding than the free and divinely instituted marriage taught by the Bible? Let us examine!

Marriage or giving a man a “help meet for him” was originally instituted by the Creator with the purpose of procreating a godly seed.

GENESIS 2:18, 21-24 
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

GENESIS 1:27-28 
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

MALACHI 2:15 
And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

The first marriage, which is of the first man and woman, does not carry with it conditions, prerequisites, and prohibitions in contrast to later divine marriages.

HEBREWS 13:4
Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

While later marriages have many do’s and don’ts, the first divinely instituted marriage emphasized only on “be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth.” Be fruitful means the couple, Adam and Eve, have to continuously reproduce their kind, while to multiply is to teach all of their offspring to do the same.

Multiplication cannot be attained without a multiplicand and a multiplier. The first couple served as the multiplicand while their offspring served as the multiplier, and the fruits of the multipliers serve as the products to fill the earth! It is in the intent of producing and multiplying of “godly seeds” that God instituted marriage. Same sex marriages cannot do so. Whosoever or whichever government or body that approved of same sex marriage, practically did not consider the divine intention of marriage.

There is a host of great things that a divinely instituted marriage can produce. From the physical, mental, and spiritual side of life, the marriage initiated by the Creator is unparalleled by any marriage invented by man!

Physically, kissing to the opposite sexes boosts their health and promotes their intimacy. Here’s an excerpt from an article written by Dr. David. E. Bratt of The Trinidad Guardian (4/13/2004).


The excerpt underscores the wonderful effect of kissing on hormones called oxytocin or the love hormone. The author also mentioned what kissing does to release adrenaline and dopamine, both resulting in feelings of pleasure.

There are also health benefits of sex in marriage. Take note that whenever marriage is mentioned, the universal meaning is the one referred to in the Bible - the heterosexual union – of man and wife that God had intended. It is not the one where a Catholic priest has become the symbol and where money is the enabler for the ceremony.

Here’s an excerpt from an article written by Carol Wagstaff of Christian ExaminerDotCom (9/4/2008) about needing to support [heterosexual] marriages -

Men and women who unite themselves to each other in a loving marriage have better heart health, healthier lifestyles and fewer emotional problems. Men and women who are happily married experience greater fulfillment and well-being than their single, divorced or widowed friends.

Having a partner in life is way advantageous in facing challenges. Even the Bible says for two are better than one.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-11
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

Biblically and psychologically, having a faithful sexual partner is like having another “you” that is perfectly consoling.

MATTHEW 19:6
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Wisely speaking, a partner should not be considered “a better half” but a “better self.”

The Greek word used in the English translation “joined together” is:

G4347
προσκολλάω
proskollaō
pros-kol-lay'-o
From G4314 and G2853; to glue to, that is, (figuratively) to adhere: - cleave, join (self). What seals and glue the twain to be one is the power of the Creator.

MATTHEW 19:5
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave (proskollaō) to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh.

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” But how does God join or glue a man and a woman together?

THE ROMANS 7:2
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

In our dispensation, it is the law of Christ that obtains -not Moses’ law.

THE ACTS 13:39
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

GALATIANS 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

The law is for those under the law.

THE ROMANS 3:19
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Back to the RCC not recognizing civil marriage, here’s a National Catholic Reporter that get’s stunned. Michael Sean Winters in “Pope Francis and Civil Marriage for Catholics” (1/14/2014) wrote -

My colleague John Allen reported yesterday on the fact that the Holy Father baptized the child of a couple who had contracted a civil marriage. And, as Allen notes, this is a pretty stunning development, one that, as I see it, entails several key issues of increasing depth and significance.

First, there is the strange canonical situation of Catholics who do not marry in the Church. Those marriages are not only considered illicit, but invalid. This has never made sense to me.

Marriage understandably concerns two people (a man and a woman) making a pact with each other with God as their judge. The laws of the land provide for civil marriages. As defined, civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Most people go for this in an effort to avoid expenses.

Since the RCC does not recognize civil marriages, does this mean some Catholic couples are actually unwed in the eyes of God?

Definitely, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is not under the law of Christ. No law of Christ will apply to a church inventing its own doctrines and imposing sacraments with payments and monetary considerations!

THE ROMANS 10:3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Even if we do not fault the RCC for exacting toll on their members in order to get married, they are in dire straits for the following practices and tradition that they teach their people -

1. Bow down to graven images

DEUTERONOMY 5:7-9
7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

2. Impose man-made doctrines and commandments like infant baptism with fee, confirmation, the use of rosary and repetitious prayers, use of the “sign of the cross,” and the like.

MARK 7:7
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

3. Teach traditions contrary to the Bible such as: Mary being the “Queen of heaven and of the apostles,” Mary being a “Mediatrix,” “Immaculate Conception,” and many more invented honors that constitute slander against the person of the mother of the Lord Jesus and blasphemy against God!

TITUS 1:14
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

Let us elaborate on the topic about Mary in our next issue of the blog because the Catholic’s devotion to her has drawn away the rightful worship to God.

God bless you.

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Spare the Children from Meaningless “Sacraments”!

7/11/2015 783 Comments


From definitions, to references used, to artifacts imbued with mystical power that are all attached to money, including their so-called sacraments, the Roman Catholic Church sounds like a ball of confusion. Let us examine what they call “confirmation.” What is to be confirmed and when?

But how should we define terms first? Is it anyway we like it? A disciplined Christian would go as far back and refer to the Authority on Life and check on His words.

Notice that this source, Modern Catholic Dictionary, in defining the term, “confirmation,” arrogates unto itself the authority to redefine others. May we highlight the terms at issue for easy reading - 


“Laying on of hands” is not “confirmation,” according to the Bible. When the Lord Jesus laid His hands upon the children which action the apostles were trying to forbid, it was not a rite nor sacrament so that the apostles were even trying to prevent the children. If it were a sacrament or a religious rite, the apostles, instead of preventing the children to come close, must be assisting them! Logical?

MATTHEW 19:13-15 
13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 
14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 
15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Again, “laying on of hands” is not “confirmation,” according to the Bible. It is the act of giving the recipient the trust and honor necessary for his God-given office.

NUMBERS 27:18-20 
18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him
19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 
20 And thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

It is in this very sense that the Apostle Paul laid his hands upon Timothy.

II TIMOTHY 1:6 
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

I TIMOTHY 4:14 
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

You do not lay hands on children! How can such delicate trust and honor be conferred to children? Consider the age as discussed by Michelle Arnold -

Following recognition by the Holy See, the [USCCB] has decreed that the age for conferring the sacrament of confirmation in the Latin rite dioceses of the United States will be between "the age of discretion [‘considered to be about age seven’] and about sixteen years of age.’" (www.usccb.org)

This is really laughable! How can a child at seven be capable of the trust likened to what Joshua and Timothy received? Even if you say 12 or even 17, should you lay hands on them?

Here’s one of two children, both 12 year olds, that were confirmed by Pope Francis at a ceremony in St Peter’s Square in Rome (Ref: Stephen Rogers, Irish ExaminerDotCom, 4/29/2013).


The doctrine of “confirmation” that they refer to as one of their “sacraments” is one of many inventions of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). According to Catholic authorities, it is “not strictly necessary for salvation” but “there is a grave obligation to receive it in due time.” From this definition we are sure that this is an invented teaching of the Council of Trent.

Modern Catholic Dictionary Page 122


COUNCIL OF TRENT


In contrast to Catholic teachings, every teaching or commandment of Christ is essentially necessary for salvation. These are imparted to a believer by a believing preacher without costs.

JAMES 2:10 
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

While the RCC is saying that their “sacrament of confirmation is not strictly necessary for salvation,” the truth is that all the teachings of Christ and His commandments must be observed, because defiance in one will make one guilty of all.

MATTHEW 28:20 
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And note that “all teachings” of Christ must be shared without costs! Without costs! We underscore this fact because for every movement the Catholic priests undertake, there is payment. In other words, salvation in the RCC is to be had with monetary considerations – always. The Apostles of Christ preached the gospel freely. They did not require any payment for Church services.

II CORINTHIANS 11:7 
Have I committed an offense in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

In contrast, the Catholic Church requires payment for their sacraments like “confirmation” and baptism. According to them “confirmation” is done in three ways: 1) Laying on of hands; 2) Anointing with chrism; and 3) Prayer. As in their other sacraments, there is again an artifact they attach so that money can be paid: Chrism. Without a Catholic bishop’s blessing, there is no consecration for a mixture in their sacraments. Show money first, then consecration comes.



Is this what the Bible says? “Anointing with chrism” is certainly not biblical. There is no such thing as “consecrated mixture of olive oil and balsam” used in any Christian rite of the first century! In its place is the strengthening of faith of one through the help of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, this is not acquired in the invented manner of the “sacrament of confirmation” of the Catholic Church!

Only one translation of the Bible in the New Testament uses the word ‘balsam’ in only one occasion when Mary used it on the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. This clearly shows that it is not a sacred object or by any implication a “chrism” used by the 1st Century Christian church.

JOHN 11:2 (ETHERIDGE TRANSLATION) 
It was that Mariam who anointed with balsam the feet of Jeshu, and wiped (them) with her hair, whose brother this Loozar was who was sick.

Let us refer to the Bible and learn from it. Faith is the very issue when one gets baptized. Faith is also the issue with every Christian after that. It is faith that should be strengthened as one matures because faith is not a one-shot process. What will you confirm then? One’s membership in the Catholic faith?

Here are conversations that showcase what we were saying all along (Ref: Zoe Ryan, “Views conflict on what age to confirm,” National Catholic Reporter, 5/13/2011). In conflicts about what age to confirm, younger age is the restored order, Catholic authorities decided. The following excerpt outlines the issue.


We quote here two authorities: Joseph Martos and Joe Paprocki. The first is a sacramental historian and an author of two books on Catholic sacraments. The second teaches an eighth-grade confirmation class and was a director of religious education.

The gist of Martos’ comments is that children are still children. They are confirmed in early adolescence and then they stop going to church, he observes. Here’s Martos on confirmation -

We have this ceremony ... and it doesn’t occur when it’s at a real change in the person’s life…. In other words, the problem is not theological. The problem has to do with the nature and purpose of ritual, especially rites of passages and initiation rituals.

Unless people, when they’re confirmed, are actually making a passage in their life, like from being not Catholic to Catholic, not married to married ... then there isn’t any meaning in the sacrament of confirmation, because the meaning comes from what’s going on in the person’s life at the time.

Meanwhile, confirmation is more to keep them in the Catholic faith, suggests Paprocki. However, he said confirmation needs to be looked into as far as children are concerned. Here is what he said in Zoe Ryan’s interview -

I think that tends to be the biggest fear: How will we keep them if we don’t have the sacraments? The problem with that is the sacrament of confirmation shouldn’t be a carrot on a stick. It shouldn’t just be the way we keep them. If we can’t keep them without confirmation, then I think there’s something wrong there. I think it would force us to reevaluate and look more closely at what we’re offering them.”

See? Even those charged to work on children in the Catholic institutions are worried sick of what they are doing. The biblical ways by which a Christian is strengthened in faith are:

1) Through exhortation and endurance in tribulations through faith.

THE ACTS 14:22 
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

This is affirmed by the Apostle Paul among the Romans.

THE ROMANS 5:1-5 
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

2) Through vigilance and prayer that strengthen the weaknesses of our flesh.

MATTHEW 26:41 
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

THE ROMANS 8:26 
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

3) Through the practice of unfeigned love that strengthens Christians.

EPHESIANS 4:16 
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

COLOSSIANS 3:14 (RSV) 
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

All these biblical ways to strengthen a Christian will not apply to a seven-year-old child! He has still some growing up to do, some experiences to undergo. The faith of a Christian is revealed by time. The Bible confirms that.

I CORINTHIANS 3:13 
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Time is a very important essence in the strengthening of one’s faith. One has to grow through the years as one may experience what can threaten faith, what can derail it, as well as what can strengthen it. And time may confirm again and again one’s faith as long as one holds on to the teachings of Christ.

HEBREWS 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

For this reason, the Lord Jesus Christ tells Christians to endure until the end.

MATTHEW 10:22 
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

How can a child of seven years experience all of these wonderful teachings of the Lord? Unless Stephen “Steve” Shott was ordained as priest when he was still seven!

More laughters to come, God willing.

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A True Seeker of Truth is Ever-willing to Leave Ignorance

7/03/2015 414 Comments


Ignorance can lead to wisdom, and that is wisdom even unfathomable! It is wisdom that is deep, profound, enigmatic.

But it is wisdom that is certainly not for everybody but for those who accept truth! An example is Paul’s case. He was a persecutor before of the followers of Christ. He did it in ignorance, however.

I TIMOTHY 1:13 
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Paul’s sincerity in learning the truth led him to know the riches of the wisdom of God. And more. God was pleased to introduce Christ to him. From there, he made up his mind not to learn from the teachings of this world. Hence, Paul’s wisdom turned exceptional and God-given!

GALATIANS 1:13-16 
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 
14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Paul’s co-apostle, Peter, gives cognizance to this fact. The latter acknowledges that there are things hard to understand in the writings of Paul because of the kind of wisdom given to him.

II PETER 3:15-17 
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. 
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.

Notice that Paul calls himself the least of all saints – a mark of humility despite his wisdom. He could feel the element of mystery in such wisdom that is not openly given to just anyone at anytime.

EPHESIANS 3:8-9 
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

With such nature, this wonderful wisdom cannot be appreciated and comprehended by the wicked. And so what do they do? They pervert teachings from this wisdom.

This is exactly what is happening to Stephen “Steve” Shott and his peers. In the futile attempt of this Catholic priest to defend his baseless belief of baptizing infants, he asked if there is any verse forbidding infant baptism.

Here is an exchange in Twitter between Shott and a believer -


Shott implies that since there is no verse in the Bible forbidding infant baptism, the Catholic Church is correct. He also demands to be shown a command by Christ or the Apostles condemning infant baptism. As we earlier pointed out, Pope Benedict XVI declared ex cathedra that there is no Limbo after all. But Catholics still baptize their infants. It is very clear Shott prefers to ignore our argument, hence insisting on a verse.

If every prohibition is expressed in “don’ts” and “must not’s,” will man be unable to find his way? Will he not know his whereabouts? God gave common sense and logic to man. There is no excuse that he cannot find his way in this life – unless one is as willingly stupid and stubborn like Shott!

Let’s illustrate this with God’s prohibition of eating blood. Blood is a sacred matter in the Christian faith. From the time of the Israelites it is forbidden to eat blood.

LEVITICUS 17:10 
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

The reason for the prohibition is this: Blood is sacred and does propitiation for the soul. It can turn away the wrath of God.

LEVITICUS 17:11 
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Aside from its being sacred as given and described by God, we have now knowledge about the disadvantages of consuming blood for food. Here’s an excerpt from Live Science -

The strange fact is, blood, when drank, is toxic. When confined to places where blood is supposed to be — such as the heart, vessels, and so on — it is essential for life. But when ingested it's a very different story. Of course all toxins have doses, and just as a tiny bit of poison won't necessarily harm you, the more you eat or drink, the greater the danger.

Because blood is so rich in iron — and because the body has difficulty excreting excess iron — any animal that consumes blood regularly runs a risk of iron overdose. While iron is necessary for all animals (and indeed most life), in high doses it can be toxic. This condition, called haemochromatosis, can cause a wide variety of diseases and problems, including liver damage, buildup of fluid in the lungs, dehydration, low blood pressure, and nervous disorders. (Ref: http://www.livescience.com/15899-drinking-blood-safe.html)

Written by Benjamin Radford (9/02/2011), the question is about drinking blood, one may say, but Live Science underscores the effect of excess iron that can kill. Comparing bats and the human being, the latter has no mechanism that can extract too much iron from the bloodstream, the report said.

The bodies of animals that digest blood have adapted specialized digestive mechanisms. According to Katherine Ramsland in her book "The Science of Vampires" (Penguin Putnam, 2002) the vampire bat, "requires an enormous intake of iron, which helps make hemoglobin for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. Yet the iron intake is generally higher than what the bat needs, so it has a special process for secreting the excess. When ingested, the blood goes through a tract that's adapted for extracting nutrients. Research on this system suggests that bats have a mucous membrane along the intestinal tract that acts as a barrier to prevent too much iron from getting into their bloodstreams." You, however, are not a vampire bat. Because humans did not evolve such an iron-extracting mechanism, drinking blood can kill us. (Ref: http://www.livescience.com/15899-drinking-blood-safe.html)

This wisdom can be perceived by just examining instructions given by God to His people, the Israelites.

As fats can cause a host of human ailments, logic and common sense dictate that blood also can. That is one reason it was strictly prohibited by the Lord for the Israelites through stern warnings using “don’t” and “mine” in the consumption of both!

LEVITICUS 3:17, 16 
17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. 
16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savor: all the fat is the LORD's.

The Lord’s way of saying “Fat is not good for you” was expressed by these wise declarations: “The priest shall burn them” and “All the fat is the LORD’s.”

This Shott will never understand! In fact, he eats blood as if it is not prohibited for Catholics to consume such a sacred thing! Tsk! Tsk!

HEBREWS 9:22 
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

All the blood not eaten by God’s people were shed to allegorically and rhetorically figure the importance of the redemption done by the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

THE ACTS 20:28 
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

This is the reason why up to the time of the New Testament, God through the Apostles and the Holy Spirit underscored four abstentions for God’s people: 1) From pollutions of idols; 2) From fornication; 3) From things strangled; and 4) From blood. Abstain! Refrain yourself from things unhealthy and forbidden! The Apostles were talking and from here, we can learn what a true follower of Christ must do.

THE ACTS 15:19-20, 28-29 
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well, Fare ye well.

We don’t read “don’ts” in the preceding verses, do we? “Animals strangled” means animals that died without the blood being shed. Thus logic follows that because blood is forbidden, a strangled animal which flesh is filled with the forbidden blood is also prohibited.

Here’s another wisdom that can be appreciated in this. Animals and fowls that die without the blood being shed may not be exactly healthy and may infect the consumer. The Department of Health warns against double-dead meat.

DOH defines "botcha” or double-dead meat as a livestock or poultry that have died due to disease, slaughtered and then sold fraudulently to consumers as “fresh meat.”

In an earlier statement, DOH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee-Suy said that eating double-dead meat is hazardous to health because it may result to stomachache, diarrhea and even food poisoning.

According to the DOH, double-dead meat can be spotted through its pale color with bluish or greenish-gray tint; sticky consistency; foul smell; cold (meat has been frozen); hair and skin not properly cleaned. (Ref: http://balita.ph/2015/03/03/doh-warns-on-health-risk-of-eating-double-dead-meat-during-summer/)

Back to infants, nowhere in the Bible can we find that it is prohibited for an infant or even a child to be baptized – and for that matter - to be married, as part of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. None. So, is that why you do it to them?

According to the Modern Catholic Dictionary, the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church include baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, orders, matrimony, and the anointing of the sick.


Note that these seven sacraments include baptism and matrimony. Following the senseless and stupid allegation of Shott therefore, it is rightful for him to bestow upon a baby the sacrament of matrimony! Stupidity at its pinnacle is the stupidity of Shott!

The Bible nowhere declares that you must not perform matrimony upon a child! But no normal thinking person will say “Show me in the bible that it is prohibited and I will not perform unto the child the sacrament of matrimony”.

There are admonitions without the “don’ts” and “must not’s” from where we can get wisdom.

I CORINTHIANS 7:38, 36 
38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. 
36 But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.

This is a glaring truth in the Bible but I doubt if Shott can learn anything from this!

Let me say this: “With all my heart I believe lovers and seekers of truth can comprehend the wisdom contained in this blog.”

More to come, God willing.

God bless you.

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